Nine Lives Challenge
by Briardust
Summary: A challenge for a forum, Feathers and Frost. Rated T for warriors and mention of brutal death. Lionflame gets his nine lives with the help of his brother and medicine cat, Pineberry.


**A challenge for my forum, Feathers and Frost (Featherclan). We need more members. Please join!**

Lionflame padded down the worn path to the Moonpool, followed by his medicine cat, Pineberry. The golden tabby tom with green eyes and bushy fur lead the light brown, blue-eyes tom down. Pineberry spoke. "Lick a few drops from the Moonpool." Lionflame affectionately nuzzled his brother, who had been trained by Berrywhisker, trained by Shadownight, trained by Whiteleg, trained by Spiderleaf, trained by Sorrelheart, trained by Grayfang, trained by Alder.

Licking the water or the starry pond, Lionflame awoke to see the starry ranks of Starclan gathered around him. Pineberry was waiting patiently.

"Brownstar!" Lionflame gasped, seeing his old leader young and fresh again. True to his name, the tom had beautiful brown silky fur, and his yellow eyes shone with happiness as he viewed his old deputy.

"With this life I give you acceptance." He said once he had padded over completely. "Use it to view the ideas of your clan with an open mind." Lionflame felt a burst of pain as his nose touched Brownstar's, the feeling of having to set aside his opinions for his clan. Brownstar stepped back, but the pain still left the tom sore.

"Mother!" He exclaimed as Silverfang, a silvery tabby she-cat, came close.

"I am so proud of you, my two sons." She said, looking at Pineberry. "So with this life I give you the feel of a mother's love." Something extraordinary blazed through Lionflame as she spoke- the feeling that he would do anything, die, die, and die again, suffer the worst pain, of only his clan was safe. _There is NO way that a mother's love is this strong,_ he thought, _but I guess it must be._

He looked in confusion as a cat he had never seen before, a mud-brown tom, walked up to him. Pineberry's eyes blazed with respect, however, and he forgot his silence as he blurted out, "Are you Shadownight? Berrywhisker always spoke of you!" And though his question was not answered, Lionflame immediately knew it was so.

"With this life I give you compassion." Shadownight addressed Lionflame. "Use it to help a cat in need, no matter the clan." A strange feeling ripped Lionflame open as he drowned in the sense of never being able to help all the cats in the clans and beyond, and the responsibility of the task that was keeping his clanmates safe seemed much heavier. _How will I bear all this?_ He wailed in his mind.

Grassnose, the former deputy of Riverclan before he had died, touched noses with the golden tom. "With this life I give you strength," he started. "Use this to help your clanmates in need." Lionflame felt strength course through him until he could lift the largest mountain. Then it drained from him, and he realized that the strength he needed would be gained in time.

A yellow she-cat approached him next. _Sunflower._ Lionflame heard the name as if it was spoken to him.

"With this life I grant you courage. This will help keep you and your clan strong." A fire blazed through the tom, almost ripping him away. Digging his claws into the loose soil scattered on the rock, he waiting for the pain to subside. When it had, he was approached by Loosewhisker, a graying Shadowclan elder who was now at full potential. Lionflame struggled not to yowl as he received the life of persistence. His sixth life was given, but he already felt older than the moon itself.

A faint outline of a sandy she-cat with blazing green eyes approached. Barely seeable, she slowly but gracefully bounded over to Lionflame. It was Sandstorm, the legend huntress and mate of Firestar. Giving him a life of love, following your heart, and more burning pain, she stepped back to let another just-as-faint black tom step forward.

"I am Crowfeather." His voice declared. "With this life I give you change. It will occur- make the most of it." This life was calm and peaceful, and Lionflame relaxed. Once it was over, however, all his pains and worries flooded back just as heavy as before.

Lionflame had now received eight lives. _I wonder who will give me my last life?_

"It is I."

The tom lifted his head to see a tiny apprentice-sized she-cat with black spots on her white coat, looking young and beautiful as the days in which she lived.

"Songpaw." He murmured, remembering his young love and her vicious death at the jaws of a rogue badger. Thinking guiltily of his new mate and her sister, Darksong, he shuffled his paws.

"You chose well." Blinking, Lionflame's startled eyes gazed in his apprentice. "I am so happy for you, and have news as well as a life to share. Darksong is expecting your kits." Lionflame couldn't believe his ears, and a pride like none before sang through him. "So with this life I give you pride." Touching his nose, Lionflame was a bit dissapointed. This pride she supplied equaled nothing compared to his own.

"Lionstar! LIonstar! Lionstar!" As Lionstar's vision faded into blackness again along with Pineberry's, he was content with the world. All was well.

Rowantooth stood as deputy of Riverclan, and in Darksong's opinion he was perfect for the job. Taking care of patrols of the day of their kits, he handled everything with a firm paw.

But now it was time to name their children, and she was distracted by her thoughts as Lionstar slid into the den.

"Hello, dearest."

"Hello, Lionstar."

"Let's begin."

"Lets'."

Prodding a small black she-kit gently with his paw, Lionstar spoke first. "How about Hollykit?" Darksong smiled. It was perfect, and he knew it from her gaze, so she moved on the the next, a tom-kit with an orange pelt that faded into jet-black paws. "How about Duskkit?" She questioned. "Okay." Answered the father. Their gaze fell on the third kit, a she-kit with a white pelt and darker patches. Darksong looked up, emotion filling both cat's eyes.

"Lionstar?"

"Yes?"

"Let's name her Songkit."


End file.
